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Robert Tremayne
Sir Robert Tremayne (Breton, 32) is a hedge-knight turned mercenary. He has lived and travelled all over High Rock and fought in no less than three different wars. Having spent many years away from his place of birth, he now returns to Menevia, hoping to find discover any trace of his family. Appearance At six feet tall, Robert’s long and willowy frame would perhaps look gangly it if wasn’t for the subtle definition of muscles formed from years of fighting. His short beard and medium length hair are a rather drab brown, contrasting with pale blue eyes. His long features would give him a handsome – if unassuming – face, if it weren’t for the scars; one takes up most of his right cheek, and another on his forehead. Smaller marks trace across various parts of his body, but none are as gruesome as his facial scars. Inventory His years of fighting all over High Rock has left him with a hodgepodge of gear. His broadsword is plain but well forged, the smith’s mark indicating that it originated from a smithy in Bhoraine. His hand axe is of a more common origin, featuring no maker’s mark, much like his dagger. The mail hauberk and leather cuirass are fairly stock standard. His surcoat – usually worn between his mail and cuirass – is also fairly plain and has been patched up on a few occasions. But looking closer reveals that there is more to the man than meets the eye. The long kite shield hanging from his horse’s saddle features peeling paint, but there is enough to hint that it once splendidly displayed the Siren of House Caron. And the patches stitched onto his surcoat – upon closer inspection – appear to have once belonged to a Royal Banner of Daggerfall. Aside from his armour, his attire consists of a rough woollen tunic, cloak and trousers, a scarf, fingerless gloves and sturdy leather boots. He has a pouch of gold and a waterskin, as well as a pair of worn gambling dice. Personality As an exile away from home, he has a few traits that could be considered unsavoury. He is perhaps a little unpredictable – easy going one moment before suddenly roused to anger the next. He is very straight-forward and direct to the point of being uncouth, the intricacies of Menevian hospitality completely lost on him. And he is known for recklessness and impulsiveness, acting first without thinking of the consequences. But he is not irredeemable. He has a strong commitment to his family – even if only to their memory – and is known for his sense of honour. Even his more unfavourable traits are usually funnelled towards a cause of some merit, usually involving the rights of the common folk and the abuse of privilege from the nobility. And he is renowned for his determination to never back down from a challenge or a cause. In short: he is a dangerous man. History Origins The Tremayne family has deep roots in the Tunwick region, but Robert never spent much time there in his formative years. His mother’s family were merchants in the city of Bhoraine, and so his parents – Garrett and Adela – moved there with the hope of giving their child opportunities that he wouldn’t receive in Menevia. As his mother’s family owned a few ships, they would often sail back to Menevia and Tunwick to visit Garrett’s relatives – Declan and Hannah – and Robert spent a lot of time playing with his younger cousins. Being the oldest Tremayne of his generation, he was often looked up to by his younger relatives, and he came home with bruises protecting them from bullies on more than one occasion. His early years were full of happiness and love, surrounded by his family. But it all changed in 4E 6. Robert’s family had visited their relatives that year, and had heard the rumours of trouble in the Tunwick region. Despite that, it was a warm reunion, like all those before it, and Robert very much enjoyed spending time with his cousins. And when they left, bound for home again, none of the Tremaynes knew it would turn out to be the last time they would ever see their Tunwick relatives. As the year went on, the rumours grew ever stronger, and more disturbing. Their relatives, who wrote ever so frequently during the times that they were apart, stopped writing altogether. Weeks turned to months and still they had heard nothing. Something was amiss. So it was that his mother and father made the decision to move to Tunwick, to see what was going on and to find any information about their missing relative’s whereabouts. Adela set up a store using her family’s contacts, and Garrett took up work as a manager of one of the local wineries; he came from a long line of grape growers and wine makers. Life in Tunwick It didn’t take long however for Robert to get into trouble again. When he was twelve years old he tried to stop a thief in his mother’s store, standing up to the man and receiving another few bruises for it, but it was enough to draw the attention of a guard who apprehended the thief. Impressed by the young boy’s bravery, he suggested that Robert take up a job in the guardhouse as an attendant, with the idea of eventually becoming a guardsman. Robert liked the prospect of becoming a guard one day and though his parents were hesitant, they allowed him to take up the job. For the next few years, Robert worked as an attendant at the guardhouse; making beds, maintaining weapons, tending to horses, running errands. This was his life. All designed to instil a sense of discipline, a pride in the job, and a comradery with the men and women he would one day stand beside. It was around this time that he came into contact with Lord Aldwyn Fisk, the Lord-Protector of Tunwick. For one reason or another he took a shining to the lad, encouraging him to be successful, sometimes to the detriment of his own son – Sholto Fisk – who looked on with jealousy. At the age of fifteen, Robert’s training began in earnest. Days were spent learning how to fight and apprehend a suspect. Nights were spent reading books about Menevian law. All the while, his progress was watched by Lord Aldwyn, who again encouraged him to do well. It was clear that he was being groomed for an important role. When he completed his training at the age of eighteen, now considered a fully-fledged member of the Tunwick guard, Lord Aldwyn offered him the position of personal bodyguard. Robert quickly accepted, and proved himself to be a loyal servant. He was never far from the Lord-Protector, constantly on the lookout for threats to his master. But all was not well in Tunwick. Garrett and Adela had been slowly, secretly, looking into the massacres that had plagued Tunwick years before. And as they did, so too did others. Lord Aldwyn refused to answer any of their questions, nor to look into the matter further – clearly shaken by so many people reminding him of a dark time during his lordship. So it was that the rumours grew that the attacks had not been orchestrated by bandits at all, but by the Lord-Protector himself. And with Lord Aldwyn doing nothing to dispel the rumours the tension built, with Robert caught in the middle, wanting to support his parent’s pursuit for the truth but also wanting to support his lord during a time of disquiet and mental drain. Things came to a head in 4E 17. Garrett, Adela, and several other prominent townsfolk rallied an angry mob of peasants and marched on the Tunwick Manor, demanding that the Lord Protector come out and answer their questions. What occurred that day has been the source of gossip and rumour for years ever since. Having feared such a day might come, Aldwyn’s son, Sholto Fisk, sent for an old friend to help bring stability back to the region. It arrived that day in the form of Florian Aydelotte, heir to the Barony of Reywell, and a few dozen men-at-arms. As they arrived and began to disperse the crowd, one of the peasants - allegedly armed - managed to slip past the guards and smashed through an upstairs window, identified as the Lord Protector’s Parlour. Florian and his men quickly barged through to investigate as a commotion was heard upstairs. When Florian arrived, the peasant and captain of Tunwick's guards were dead, with Robert, sword bloodied, standing over the body of the Lord Protector Aldwyn Fisk. Florian put two and two together and promptly arrested Robert for the murder of his lord. Robert didn’t resist the arrest. As a member of the nobility had been murdered, the House of Lords came together to make a verdict. The case was presided over by Baron Henry Aydelotte, with Robert being the accused and Sholto Fisk representing the aggrieved party. Robert – as per Menevian custom – was assigned a lawyer, one Emma Rosegarden. Despite Robert not providing her much information about his part in the events that day – everyone believed he was the murderer anyway – she managed to put forth a case in his defence, stating that there was no eye-witness who could prove he killed Aldwyn. There was no way to prove that he didn’t kill him, but she was able to weaken their arguments enough to prove that they didn’t have any ironclad proof. She further argued that Robert’s silence was due to a mistrust in the legal system that would see him judged unjustly. These facts were accepted by Baron Henry, but he did not allow Robert to be pardoned. Instead, he stated that the case should not be about not what he may or may not have done, but what he obviously failed to do - defend the Lord Protector. Thus the sentence for Robert was passed; exile. The trials of the ringleaders of the riot were also presided over. While the evidence that they had long planned to rise against their lord was unadmissable, the links to Lord Fisk being responsible for the troubles in Tunwick were too convenient to ignore. In the end, he simply did the same for the ringleaders – Garrett, Adela, and the others – banishing them. Several of the Lords protested this result – Sholto Fisk and his mother Amara especially - but the Colisandes, indifferent to the goings on in a tiny little holding like Tunwick and seeing the matter as already neatly resolved with them intervening, backed up the ruling. A Life in Exile With a life in Tunwick forever barred to them, Robert, Adela and Garrett returned to Bhoraine, living with Adela’s family. However, the Tremayne’s had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. It wasn’t long before an Orc horde appeared before the gates of Bhoraine, and the city was sacked. Garrett died with an orc arrow in his chest, and Adela died in Robert’s arms, bleeding from a sword wound to the back. Robert however managed to fight his way out of the city and fled north, his mind turning to vengeance. Vengeance eventually came in the form of a thundering host of horsemen led by the mighty King Senhyn Valteiri of Camlorn. He joined the Camlornese army and helped take part in the liberation of Bhoraine, accompanying Senhyn’s army right to the gates of Koegria. For his valour in the field, he was knighted by King Senhyn, becoming Sir Robert Tremayne. When the Moonguard revolted ended, Robert returned to Bhoraine. But it was not the vibrant city of his youth, where he had been born and raised. It was a smouldering ruin that brought nothing but painful memories. With no home left for him to return to, Robert turned to a life on the road. He eventually made a living as a mercenary, putting his sword to use in order to pay his way. Sometimes he simply helped merchant caravans. Other times he was employed to guard warehouses, taverns, and even worked as a doorman to a brothel on one occasion. However the jobs that gave the best coin were those that brought him onto the battlefield. He fought alongside the Chevaliers of Daggerfall in 4E 22 during the War of Tulunese Succession, the campaign where he earned the burns that would scar his face, taking on a Glennish Spellsword. His travels would also see him fight in an even greater conflict – the Grand Northern War – where he entered the service of King Daric Caron, taking part in the bloody battles of White Haven, Ridder Creek and the Siege of Shornhelm. With each battle, each conflict, he became a more grizzled and deadly combatant. But despite this, trying to act as nothing but a sword for a cause he cared little about, the memory of his family remained with him. The unknown fate of his cousins, the exile of his family, their unanswered questions, all of them he blamed on Fisks. He made the decision to return to Menevia, in search of answers and in search of justice. And so, having made his way as far south as Reywell, we find Sir Robert Tremayne. The man who never forgave, and never forgot... Category:Nobility Category:Commoner Category:Menevia Category:Camlorn